Bowlers will mark start of season by rolling for world record

Brad Sommer can’t think of a better way to kick off the bowling season than having everyone in the country participate in setting a record.

Brenda Young

Brad Sommer can’t think of a better way to kick off the bowling season than having everyone in the country participate in setting a record.

Don Carter Lanes will be one of more than 3,000 bowling centers around the country participating in an attempt to set a world record for the most games rolled in a single day as part of National Bowling Week.

The event begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and runs until 9 p.m., at most centers around the Rock River Valley.

This is the third annual National Bowling Week, which started Aug. 23.

The event is one day longer than the past two years because Saturday has been added to attempt setting a world record for most games bowled in a day.

“It’s really cool,” said Sommer, general manager of Don Carter Lanes. “It’s a great way to kick off the bowling season and it gives people a reason to get out and go bowling as a group or as a family.”

Bowling centers nationwide are being asked to implement events to generate traffic, record the total number of games bowled in a 24-hour period and report the number to a promotions clearinghouse.

Each participating bowler will receive a commemorative certificate for their help.

National Bowling Week recognizes the nation’s No. 1 participatory sport with more than 67.2 million people 6 and older having bowled in 2007, up more than 5 percent since 2005.

In addition to the world record effort, bowling centers will host a variety of events, games and parties.

These include free coaching clinics, free game passes, community days, special tournaments, Bowling Blast-Off youth events and quick and easy league sign-ups.

Most centers around the Rock River Valley are offering the first game free to any participant on Saturday. All games following the first free one, will be at each center’s regular price.

“This is Labor Day weekend,” said John Anderson, local proprietor of The Cherry Bowl. “It’s the perfect time to come in and play. It gets people thinking about bowling.”